Brockton Housing Court facing drastic cut in days of operation

Thursday

Plans to cut back on the days of operation for the Brockton Housing Court were put on pause this week as elected officials from the city protest a proposal to cut back on service.

BROCKTON – A drastic cutback in the days of operation at the Brockton Housing Court was averted – for now – as elected officials from the city call on the state's judiciary to reconsider its initial plans.

Brockton Mayor Bill Carpenter and members of the local delegation of state lawmakers both appealed to the chief justice of the Massachusetts Housing Court Department to reconsider the cutback. The plan was to close the Brockton Housing Court for Monday, Thursday and Friday, and only having it open on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a letter from the mayor. Currently, the Brockton Housing is open on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Carpenter said the move, originally planned to take effect on Monday next week, would have “unintended consequences” and would be a detriment to the citizens of Brockton. Carpenter urged Housing Court Chief Justice Timothy Sullivan to change course.

“On behalf of the residents and other stakeholders in the city of Brockton, I am asking you to reconsider your decision to close the Housing Court in Brockton three days a week," Carpenter wrote, in his letter addressed to Chief Justice Timothy Sullivan. “We're a city of more than 100,000 people, many of whom rely on the services that the Brockton Housing Court provides. ... We don't want to lose any days. The Brockton Housing Court is an integral part of our community."

The state’s Housing Court Department holds legal jurisdiction and rules on hearings for matters concerning tenants’ rights, evictions, and other civil and criminal issues concerning equitable relief for occupants and owners of residential housing. The state has five divisions, including the Southeast Housing Court, which serves Brockton inside the Brockton District Court building on Main Street. If the Brockton Housing Court is ever closed, the citizens who use it would have to travel to the nearest Southeast Housing Court locations in Taunton or Plymouth.

“Many of the people served won't have the necessary transportation to travel to other jurisdictions,” Carpenter wrote in his letter. “The residents who do have the means will end up with an additional tax and inconvenience."

However, after Carpenter protested and local lawmakers recently intervened, the state decided to slow the process down.

State Sen. Michael Brady, D-Brockton, said that state Rep. Claire Cronin, D-Easton, has been “very helpful” as the chairperson of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary at the State House. As of now, there are no layoffs taking place, Brady said.

“We’ve been assured there are not going to be any changes this coming Monday,” said Brady, when reached on Thursday. “We were able to talk with administration. ... They will put everything on hold, until we go over all the proposed changes.”

Housing Court Chief Justice Timothy Sullivan responded to questions from The Enterprise with a statement, which said Southeast Housing Court First Justice Anne Kenney Chaplin and others are working “diligently” to make sure the final resolution would not compromise the quality service provided by the Southeast Division of the Housing Court.

“There is no final plan to modify the existing services available in Brockton,” Sullivan said. “Current staffing levels have recently presented challenges in providing adequate service in the five separate locations (Brockton, Fall River, New Bedford, Taunton and Plymouth) covered by Housing Court. Various proposals are being considered internally to address these staffing pressures. The close working relationships we enjoy among municipal leaders and our partners in the legislature will continue to be relied upon, and their contributions to this ongoing dialogue are greatly appreciated.”

Brady said that the Legislature put additional money in this year’s state budget to expand the Housing Court operations across the state.

But Brady said the state will still likely be going forward with changes at the Housing Court in Brockton for the sake of efficiency.

“There are changes that will be taking place, but we will sit down with delegation and powers that be, to go over how we are going to handle these changes and how they will take place,” Brady said.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.